DE Antonneous Clayton itching to bust out of his shell
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- For Dan Mullen and the Gators, camp is officially over and now the fun is set to kick into gear with Charleston Southern invading the Swamp on Saturday evening.
“Camp is over, the hard part is done, now it’s time to put everything together, as a team, as a defense and as an offense," said defensive end Antonneous Clayton.
From going up-tempo day in and day out to battling the blistering heat, Clayton says this year's camp really challenged everybody's mental fortitude. Whether it's full pads or shorts and a t-shirt, Dan Mullen's staff keeps the intensity up and expects full speed on each repetition.
“Both mentally and physically it was challenging," Clayton said. "A lot of things coming out to challenge our mental toughness. The physical part was there. It was all a part of knowing the plays, doing your assignments and making sure you’re doing your job.
"As far as camp goes, it’s been a whole new experience for me."
Attacking the team goals should always be the top priority for any student-athlete, but Clayton is itching to bust out of his shell and make sure everybody remembers his name as well.
“I’m just trying to make a name for myself and also just try to help my team win. That’s the ultimate goal," Clayton said. "I’m not really focusing on myself but if my name is called, my jersey's called, I’ll be ready to play.”
The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Clayton arrived in the Swamp as an Under Armour All-American and five-star defensive end on Rivals, and is still looking to find his groove in a Gators uniform.
The junior played in nine games a season ago, amassing seven tackles, one sack and one tackle-for-loss, but appeared in five games as a freshman as well.
“My goal for me is just trying to make a name for myself this year," Clayton said. "I’ve been silent for the first two years since I first got here. Things didn’t go as expected when I first got here. I mean, that’s just something I couldn’t control. Just trying to make a name for myself.
"It’s been three years and I’m kinda' getting frustrated. I got a whole son to take care of now. If I can’t accomplish my goals here, it is what it is. I have a son to take care of. As far as the defense as a whole, I mean I’m all for the defense and them boys make plays.
"I just want to win games. The NFL scouts, they want to see guys that win championships. They don’t want teams that go 4-7; they don’t want teams that lose. Make it to the SEC Championship or potentially the national championship. Scouts will be there, people will get looked at. That’s the main thing I’m looking at.”
There is some work to do done in regards to climbing the depth chart, but Clayton has done a good job of tuning out the noise and seasoning up his craft for when he does receive the nod from the defensive staff.
“I aint even looked at the depth chart. I don’t know nothing about that," Clayton said. "If I look at it, I mean, like I said it’s next man up. My name’s called then it’s called. If I’m not out there, I’m gonna' be cheering my teammates on. That’s just how it goes.
“I just know when my name's called, I’ll be making tons of plays," Clayton added. "That’s the only thing I know. Other than that, when I’m on the sideline I’ll be cheering my teammates on.”
The No. 1 topic of summer camp had arguably been the competition at quarterback to see who would eventually inch ahead in the race, but that question was answered earlier this week when Feleipe Franks, who started eight games a season ago, was tagged as the week one starter under Dan Mullen.
“Leadership. Leadership," Clayton said of Franks. "When we’re doing stadiums or runs, he’s the first one done. He’s the first one to a lot of things. He has that leadership role. He competes with a lot of guys. Not only does he compete with the quarterbacks, but he competes with the linebackers, the d-line, like ‘hey, I bet I can beat you in this sprint.’
"Ever since he’s got here, he’s matured every single year. He’s a great guy to be around, a great guy to look up to. He’s a great leader.”
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